Examining the results of an intervention to influence factors of group dynamics in video conferencing learning environments

"The following study was framed around a simple question: when a group of people is engaged in video conferencing, what sort of things can they do to improve their group dynamics? This is an important question for current and future educational practice because web-based video conferencing has increasingly become an important tool for use in online and distance education programs. Using computer-based audio and visual equipment, web-based video conferencing allows groups of students and teachers to see and hear each other in real-time, providing a channel of communication that is often rich in information. Informal video chat, using applications like Skype, FaceTime, and Google Hangouts, has become a popular means of communication in much the same way as phone calls. Formal group video conferencing, however, is a different communication and interaction format from informal video chat, and many teachers and students often unfamiliar with rules and norms associated with it. For example, best practices literature on video conferencing stress that things like framing, lighting, proximity to the camera, and the composition of background can all affect the way a person is perceived by others. These factors can also affect the overall quality of the video conferencing session, making it easier or harder for people to hold sustained interactions with each other. In short, formal group video conferencing requires people to be mindful of certain things that they may not pay attention to when they are engaged in either face-to-face conversations or informal video chats. When people are not mindful, they can cause serious disruptions to overall group dynamics. Group dynamics play a role in any setting where people come together for a period of time. Forsyth defines a group as "two or more individuals who connected by and with social relationships" (Forsyth, 2009, p. 4). Dynamics are the interactions between and among factors in a context or system of elements. Group dynamics therefore refers to the qualities of interaction with one another in a group. Factors that influence group dynamics include morale, belongingness, tone, atmosphere, influence, participation, trust, leadership, conflict, competition, cooperation, etc. (Hanson, 2005). The goal of this study was to design an intervention based on a series of activities that instructors or facilitators could use with students in simulated high-stakes video conferencing learning environments. The results were illuminating but not in a way the author intended. The intervention at the heart of this study was not implemented as it was originally designed, which affected not only the results but the entire direction of analysis. This is not necessarily a bad thing. This study shows the importance of intervention design and the role that facilitators play in bringing the benefits of an intervention to those who need it. The different chapters in this dissertation discuss why the author felt this study was important and necessary, how he went about designing the central intervention, what the results suggest about intervention design and implementation, and his recommendations for future research in the area of group dynamics in video conferencing learning environments. It is the author's wish that readers gain a new appreciation for the complexity of research in this area, as well as a newfound or renewed interest in seeing this research continue."--Pages ii-iii.